How long before i can interact with my Cockateil?

Question

I just bought a hand fed cockateil but i'm not quite sure what really to do with him when i get home. I mean, i know he will be scared so should i leave him in his cage for a couple a days until he calms? Or can i take him out and bond with him the first time i bring him home. I don't want to scare him. I just want to do everything right.

Thanks

Answer 1

ur technically supposed to leave him in his cage 4 a week but i took mine uot the day after i bought him and hes just fine and ive had him a year now

Answer 2

i tried to interact with my tiels the minute i got them home.  my male was scared and very timid so i let him alone in the cage.  

but my female was very excited and curious about her new surroundings.  she perched on every finger that was offered to her and hung out on my shoulder for a while.  she wasnt afraid at all!

so i think it just depends on the bird.

if your bird seems scared, then i suggest you leave him alone a couple days to get used to his new home.

but if your bird is excited like my girl was, then its alright to try and play with him.

Answer 3

you can wait for an hour or two, but you can take the cockatiel out the same day you get it. try bonding with it. the more to TRY to bond with it, the more it will get used to you. try to get your cockatiel to know you better. the more you know about your cockatiel, the more you know what the dos and donts are, the more it will enjoy YOU. also, dont do anything that could frusturate it. if you want to begin to train it to talk, try this after you bonded with it for a couple of days... it should begin to trust you. i wrote something about how to teach your cockatiel to talk on Yahoo! questions.

Answer 4

you should probably take him out right when you get him. the more you interact with him, the faster he will bond with you. i have had one for a few months and she never stops singing and screaming! but i recently bought a new one and he is still pretty scared. but i continue to pick him up and soon he will jump on your shoulder and start singing. they are very smart and loving birds. but you should take him out and hold him right when you get him! :]

Answer 5

Great question.  The first mistake people make with birds is that they try to be too timid and too shy with the bird.  And really, this just freeks them out.

I would take the bird out the same day you get the bird.  Do not leave him in the cage, but let him get used to you right away.

It is amazing how birds can learn how to sit on a finger within mere minutes, and this is something that should be taught the first day.  Of course, the first time you place your hand in the cage, the bird will not know the finger command, and thus he will not step on your finger.  So, just gently grab the bird and take the bird out.  Again, do not be timid here.  If you are timidly chasing the bird around in the cage, the bird will freak out.  So, just go in the and get it (be a little bold about it), and when you get him in your hand, just take him out.

Cockateils are very hardy birds and are a lot of fun.  Enjoy your bird.

Answer 6

When I first brought my tiel home I sat with for a little while.  He perched on my hand I kept him just below eye level (didn't want him to bite my face if he got scared) I just talked to him and gave him treats.  Doing this helps them see you as a positive, safe thing and if you keep the room calm, tlak softly, give treats, and don't try to handle him too much this seems to work well for me.  After that just put him in the cage with dim lights and maybe some light music playing softly or none at all andjust keep the house calm.  Let him soak it in.  Next day open the cage door and let him explore on his own, and let him come to you if he wants.  After a few days when he starts to appear more comfortable go ahead and start taking him out of the cage and working on step up.  But if he seems nervous set him down and wait another day or so.  Let him tell you when he's settled and ready for fun.  But don't ignore him.  Open the cage door and let him roam, talk to him and offer treats if he comes close.

Answer 7

First wash your hands. Let your Cockatiel calm down for about a couple hours. Talk softly and let him see you put your hands in the cage and put your finger next to his gullet (chest area) and say 'up'. Hopefully your hand tamed Cockatiel has been taught this command. He my jump right onto your finger without much work.

Before you take your Cockatiel out; ensure that there are not roaming dogs or cats in the room, no ceiling fan running, close all doors and windows.

Do this a couple times and when the room is quiet, no distractions, take your bird out and have some seed/pellets in your other hand and try to get him to nibble on them. Let him associate your hand as the one that offers food. (His previous owner/breeder did this when they hand fed him.)

Do this for short periods of time and as time goes on hold him for longer periods of time.

I have been told to never ever chase the bird around the cage and 'grab' him for this exercise. He may be tired and not feel like going out; it is stressful and an unpleasant experience and only should be done in an emergency.

If you take him out willingly and reward him with his food he will find it a pleasant experience. Cockatiels graze all day so this should never be an issue.

Whistle softly (if you can) and they will try to imitate.

Enjoy your Cockatiel and be sure to google or go to Bird Talk to find out all you can about the Ultimate Pretty Bird.

They have complicated respiratory system so be sure that he is not exposed to fumes, etc.

Answer 8

I say leave him in his cage with a cover over it thats what i did with mine when it was young then after a few days of being covered he was perfectly fine

Answer 9

my kids each got cocktails a couple of years ago, and as soon as they got them home they held them, you just have to go slow with them but if they were hand fed then they should be tame, we got ours home and put them into there new cage and left them for an hour then my kids went over gently and just put there hand in the cadge for a while and petted them and then they just went onto there arms and were fine, you've just got to go slow with them but it should be fine

Answer 10

Leave him in his cage for about a week.  Do not handle him during this time, just let him watch all the activity in the house.  You can talk to him often.  After the week is up and he has adjusted some, then start to handle him, but don't be pushy with him.

Answer 11

I raise cockatiels along with Amazons, African Greys, Racing homers, Turkeys, and standard Polish Chickens.  

Instead of coming on here you need to look at the bird. Let the bird tell you when it is comfortable enough to accept some attention. I believe that you should let them alone for maybe several days. You will be able to tell when they are getting acclimated.

It is like going to a party by yourself. When you  first get there it takes a bit for you to look around and get in to the mood.

Beware of the hand fed baby label. I don't sell birds to the local pet shops. I wouldn't put my babies through that. The breeder here that raises the baby tiels for the shops promotes their babies as hand fed. Technically they are. the take them from the nest when they are three or four weeks old. Then they crop feed them. It takes about three seconds a bird to feed them and they are put back into the brooder.

I have purchased two of these babies for their color. They were both as wild as parent raised birds. They associated humans with the crop feeding. That had been their only interaction with people so far. I have parent raised babies that are nicer than their (sic)'hand fed' babies. I just handle them every day when I am in the bird room. At first the cry and scream but after the first or second time they don't make any noise. They are content to sit in my hand. I do this with birds that I think I might hold back as my breeding stock.

Just remember, let the bird tell you when to proceed with more training. Also, 15 minutes at a time is about all they will do. Ten minutes would be best.

There is no set number of times you have to repeat a word for the bird to mimic it. Some birds will learn a word after hearing it only one time. So be careful of what you say. The males will learn to talk faster and be more talkative. There are exceptions to this. Hold off teaching the bird to whistle songs until it has learned a few words and phrases. Good luck.